


Six Years Later

by PseudoAgape



Series: Six Years Later [1]
Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Background Campers (Camp Camp), Bi! Neil, But He Refuses to Admit it, F/F, Gay! Max, Lesbian! Nikki, M/M, Max is actual a good dad/brother and is soft, Most are 16, Neil just wants to help Max, Nonbinary Nerris, Pan! Nerris, Parent!Max, Protective Max (Camp Camp), Teen Campers (Camp Camp), They all babies, Trans! Max, asexual! Max, dont expect much, i have a singular plan for this lmfao, i plan as i go, kind of, later on tho, this'll be mostly max and neil central, wood scouts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:54:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 19,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24866371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PseudoAgape/pseuds/PseudoAgape
Summary: After his forth year at camp, Max goes MIA in this fifth. And his sixth. And seventh. This left many of the campers to leave the memory of the jaded child to fade as they returnedyear after year with no Max in sight. Those who had wondered of the boys state were left with questions unanswered.That is until now. Nearly four years after the boy had first left, he reappears back at camp, accompanied by a small guest.
Relationships: David & Max (Camp Camp), Max/Science Camp Neil (Camp Camp), Nerris/Nikki (Camp Camp)
Series: Six Years Later [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1799257
Comments: 24
Kudos: 98





	1. The Return (with a twist!)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max returns.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story isn't edited or reread. Started writing when I was bored and idk where this is gonna go but eh, hopefully it'll be fun!  
> (also i changed all the ages from 14 to 16 when i was writing chap.3 and i tried to ensure it said that they were all 16-ish and Cass is 5, turning 6 soon. i apologise if i missed any.)
> 
> Hope you enjoy, and if not well at least you gave it a shot! Stay safe, wear your masks and stay hydrated!!

Drawing in a deep breath, a grin spread across the red heads face as he turned to his fellow camp counsellor. “Oh Gwen, I’m so excited for everyone to get here!” He exclaimed excitedly.

The woman sighed, “You are every year, David. Every year.” She found her friends excitement uplifting, having missed his energy during the long year. Gwen knew it would piss her off by the end of the day, however.

The red head practically vibrated as they continued to shift the tables in preparations for this year's campers. After checking the list of applications, David knew many of the campers from the past years were to be returning once again. The camp had failed to collect any new campers but that didn’t discourage him as he knew the group that had returned for multiple years was not so secretly his favourite that had come during his time as camp counsellor. With the additions of little Kate and Theodore who had both joined last year after Ered’s departure, Nurf being the only camper to not return this year. Both had grown too old to continue as campers and hadn’t any desire to return as counsellors, disappearing off with big plans for the future.

The memory of Nurf’s tearful departure last year had somehow sparked the memory of a camper he had not seen in a few years. David always got attached to the campers but this specific jaded child had somehow swore his way into the centre of the counsellors heart. The brief memory of Max slumped by the mess hall, hours after he was supposed to be picked up, looking completely defeated even after the hired car pulled across the mud. He had mumbled a quiet “See you next year, Camp Man” before climbing into the vehicle. It was something that always made David anxious, year after year, watching the small boy climb into a hired vehicle and having to entrust they would take the boy straight home. His worry had only resurfaced the year after that with no sight of the boy.

The thought of Max always returned, even after nearly six years of not seeing the young boy. He couldn’t help but wonder what he was up too, always trying to keep his mind on optimistic ideas. He wasn’t stupid. He knew it was more likely the boy was just trapped with his very-likely-to-be-neglectful parents but there was always a chance that Max had managed to find a good network outside of his homelife and had a chance at happiness.

Sighing, he plopped down onto one of the chairs he and Gwen had just finished laying out. He went to look for the woman but the sound of tires on dirt distracted him. He quickly got to his feet, glancing down at his watch in confusion before plastering a grin on his face and making his way outside. Whoever had just arrived was nearly thirty minutes early. The slight hope that it would be the missing camper was quickly diminished as he prepared to greet whoever it was.

An unrecognizable car was pulled up, David noting how the woman in the front was turned to the back, having a quick conversation with whoever was inside. The conversation lasted a moment longer until the back passenger door swung open, a mumble of thanks being heard before the person clambered out of the car. A familiar flash of blue caught his eye as a bag was thrown to the floor, followed by a suitcase before the figure disappeared once more into the car.  
They soon returned, slamming the car door before moving to the front door to talk to the driver.

David zoned out at that point, stuck staring at the boy in front of him. This was Max. Now sixteen, likely reaching up to David's shoulder if he included the curly mess on his head. The teen had barely changed since David had last seen him, the only additions being his height, ear piercings, a nose ring and slit brow. Oh. And the child on his hip?

Before he could observe the girl further, Max turned with an annoyed look on his face, mumbling about “stupid uber drivers, Cass never become one”. He was struck with the tired look on the boy's face. He was used to seeing the boys face tired but this was a new look completely. In fact, the boy even looked a whole lot maturer.  
David has always hoped Max had grown into his mature mindset but it seems his mindset seemed to grow as he did, leaving him with the tired look he often saw in pare- Oh no… Max wasn’t a-

Shaking his head, David met Max’s eye, “Welcome back to camp, Max.”

“Jesus, this camp really is your entire life.” The teen snorted, adjusting the girl on his hip before digging into his backpack and pulling out two crumpled pieces of paper. “I didn’t have a chance to send these earlier but here are the forms you need.” He thrust the papers into David’s hands.

David looked at the young girl on the teens hips, his suspicions being confirmed when he looked down at the papers to see one labelled ‘Max’ with the age 16 scribbled whilst the other had ‘Cassidy’ written with a messily drawn 5. “Is she-” he hesitantly began before he was cut off.

“My sister? Yes.”

He nodded. The girl was two years too young to be allowed at camp but… it’s not like they ever had any information for anyone to call Max’s parents and inform them they needed to come and collect their daughter.  
Grin now tight, he waved to the little girl, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Cassidy.” the girl pulled her head away from Max’s shoulder to look at the older male with a confused look. David noted how she simply looked like Max at his first year of camp, just holding more of that childhood innocence David had rarely seen in the eyes that were identical to her older brothers. Cassidy’s hair was neatly done in a plait, the pink bobble matching the dress that the girl wore. He noted how it was clearly self-made, likely by Max.

The five-year-old pouted, correcting David with a quiet “Cass.” which informed David that that was what she preferred to be called. It struck David how Cass seemed to be the complete opposite of her brother; innocent, happy, shy.

Noticing the sharp glare Max was sending him, David led the two into the mess hall, Max dragging all his luggage in one hand as he still held the girl in the other. David sat them down before rushing over to Gwen to inform her of the situation. The woman didn’t seem to believe him until he directed her attention to where the siblings were sat; Max slumped in his seat with Cass playing with his bracelet, both looking as if they were in their own little world.

He watched Gwen go over and say hi to Max and be introduced to Cass. Gwen seemed to have just as many thoughts swirling in her mind, questions to be asked, as he did. However, like many things that often involved Max, those questions were left unanswered.


	2. The Return (with a twist!) pt.2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neil and the others arrive

Neil was sitting at the back of the bus, staring out the window. The noises of Nikki’s excited rambles to Nerris became whitenoise as he once again fell deep into thought about this year's summer. He knew Nikki had a lot of adventures planned, he’d had to listen to each and every idea for the past month after all. He knew they wouldn’t feel right though. They haven't in years. Not since Max basically vanished into thin air.

Sighing, he managed to slump further in his seat as he watched the forest become denser and denser. Why did he even still come here? He could easily just go away to a science camp instead. Even better; not go to any camp. 

He must have been grumbling under his breath because Nikki was soon entering his personal space, saying something along the lines of “come on nerd boy, don’t be grouchy”. He pushed her face away, flipping her off. 

“Come on, Neil,” Nerris joined in, “Can’t say you’re not excited for this year? I have a great feeling that there is going to be something great awaiting us!” The girl's lisp was prominent as ever, even after her braces had been removed. She was the same height as Nikki, her hair still being in the same style she had since Neil had first met her. Nerris no longer wore those charming little elf ears but still was a proud sorceress, just with more of a “dyke bitch flare” (her own words, not his). In all, she really hadn’t changed much in the years he had known her.

Nikki was in the same boat, her main change being that she now wore her green hair in two french braids instead of the two pigtails. She had swapped the overalls for a pair of shorts which were practically the same shade of red. She also wore a ribbon around her wrist that had the colours of the lesbian flag.

Neil rolled his eyes, “This year is gonna be like the last few; mildly fun at best.” He smiled as both girls stuck their tongues out at the same time.

Before the trio could manage to rile each other up more, the bus pulled to a halt, the grumble at the front informing them that they were here. Most campers clambered off the bus whilst they strolled casually.  
Neil genuinely couldn’t see what would be different about this summer. There was the same set of campers from last year, no new additions. He would only have Nikki to rely on for most of the fun but ever since she and Nerris had officially gotten together, his step-sister was less in his presence. Usually that would be a positive thing but he couldn’t stand the idea of being stuck alone for the majority of camp.

Stuck in his thoughts, he missed the beginning of David’s ‘welcome back’ talk, eyes focussed on his trainers, already stained by the dirt. The sound of the mess hall doors slamming shut was hidden behind David’s rambling. A sound that did catch his attention, however, was a loud squeal erupting from Nikki, who suddenly brushed passed him and everyone in the group.

Neil looked up to see her barrelling towards a familiar shade of blue. He froze in shock, Nikki throwing herself at their childhood friend.

Max.

He was here?

He quickly shook himself out of it, dropping his bag and making his way over to the pair. He registered Nikki’s excited rambles of asking where he had been. Neil pulled her off the boy, prepared to wrap his arms around Max (he didn’t care if he got yelled at later, he just needed to hug him). The first thing he noticed was that Max had changed a fair amount but was still at least a head shorter than him. The boy's nose and ears were pierced, his brow slit, bags under his eyes deeper than Neil could ever recall. His green eyes still held that mature, piercing look that always made him wonder where he learnt to look like that from. Max still donned a familiar shade of blue, the hoodie still remaining baggy on him whilst his jeans were wellfit. His curls were still wild, maybe even more so. He looked.. Unkempt as ever, but it suited him and was just so Max.

His blue eyes dropped to see the figure Max held on his hip. Brows narrowing, he noticed it was a little girl, almost identical to what he would have imagined a happy, female Max to be. He brought everyone’s attention to the girl with an exclamation of, “Holy fuck, don’t tell me you’re a dad”.

Max’s face fell and hardened as everyone seemed to unfreeze, loud murmuring taking over the group as theories were quickly thrown back and forth about Max and the girl. His free hand began to clench and unclench, the girl buroughing her head into Max’s shoulder at the noise.  
Max looked down at the little girl, anger flashing behind his eyes. Neil sort of expected him to explode at everyone but instead the teen turned and stormed off to the lake.

Gwen soon replaced where he stood, yelling at everyone for being disrespectful and ordering them all inside. Silence fell over everyone as they marched inside, scared of Gwen’s outburst.

Neil glanced at her before slipping away and heading in the direction of where he had seen Max storm off too. Thousands of questions danced in his mind. The main being ‘Who is she?’. He knew that, if Max was still the same person he was four years ago, he wouldn’t be getting an answer today but there was no way he was just going to leave him out here. If not for Max, then for himself.

Max had practically disappeared without a trace after Neil’s first year at camp, the empty promise of “see you next year” feeling like nothing more than words than an actual promise. He’d been pissed at first, then worried, then pissed once again. But now that Max was actually here he didn’t know how he felt.

He found the pair on the dock, Max sat with the girl on his lap, facing outwards towards the scary island. He could faintly hear the girls quiet babbles as he began to make his way over. Max barely turned to him as he sat.

Silence fell between them, the girls babbles and rippling water being background noise to the two teenagers. 

“You look like a hot mess.” He commented after a moment, looking over when he heard a quiet snort.

“At least I’m hot,”

Neil began to fiddle with his fingers, fumbling for the right thing to say. “I’ve missed you,” He blurted after a moment. After there was no reply, he continued, “We all have. Nik and David were really upset when you never turned up. Turns out you're still alive and kicking though. You have no idea the amount of dramatics Preston put into the play he made that was inspired by your disappearance.”

That made Max laugh. Well, it was more of a soft chuckle. “Bet he did, dramatic ass.” He seemed to hesitate, staring down at the girl on his lap before meeting eyes with him, “I missed you too, dude.” His tone was soft, something Neil had never expected to hear from the usually guarded and jaded boy.

The child grunted, moving around on Max’s lap before she decided to stand, one foot on the dock with the other on Max’s knee. He noticed how Max seemed unphased at the girl clambering on him. She then turned to Neil and studied him for a moment before nearly slamming her head in Max’s shoulder in an attempt to hide.

Neil didn’t miss the soft smile on Max as he gently took the girls hand, bringing her attention to him before directing it to Neil. “Cass, this is my friend, Neil. Neil, this is Cass.”

Neil waved, unsure if it would spook her if she spoke.

Cass grinned, waving at him. “Hi.” She had a sort of shy demeanor to her, one that Neil would have never expected someone who was somehow related to Max to possess.

“She’s my little sister.” Max informed him. He lifted Cass and removed her completely from his lap. Cass grunted softly before sitting between the boys. “My mother had her during that summer.”

Well, those were two questions answered but also five new ones. “Would have assumed you were her dad.” This was clearly the wrong thing to say as the other teens face quickly hardened, a sure sign that he had said something wrong. Fuck. “I didn’t mea-”

“Shut up, nerd.”

For some reason, this sparked a nerve with him as anger flared. “What? Am i just meant to ignore that my best friend goes MIA for nearly six years but then reappears with a little girl that, for all any of us know, is your daughter?”

“Neil-”

“No! I’m pissed. You can’t just expect me to ignore everything. I know we only spent a few months together but Jesus Max-” “Neil-” “-I thought we really bonded. Especially after everything we went through! We both finally fucking had friends but you decided to off and leave for a bit, prance about doing whatever while none of us had any idea what shit you were getting up to!” “Neil-” “I gave you my NUMBER, something to actually contact you with. Lemme guess, it's in the trash? Thrown away just like I was the second you decided you didn’t need me anymore. I ca-”

“NEIL!” The yell made him stop. He paused, ready to blow again but finally looked at Max. he had tears brimming his eyes.

Before Neil could say anything else, Max stood. He lifted Cass with him, placing her easily on his hip. Neil noted how the girl made no fuss (often at family gatherings he would watch kids being lifted by their parents, often making a complete fuss). Max’s body was angled away from him, his voice sounding tired as he mumbled, “I think QM made dinner, come on.”. Max walked away without even glancing back at Neil.

Scrambling to his feet, Neil hurried after the boy. They soon entered the mess hall, Neil pausing as everyone stopped and stared at Max before carrying on. He suspected everyone had been told off for the situation earlier.

Neil followed Max to get food. He watched as Max put Cass down, handing her two juice boxes that were in the kitchen and only taking one tray of food. Neil grabbed his own share, deciding to follow the pair. Max guided them over to the furthest place from everyone. He sat, watching as the siblings sorted themselves out. They sat close, Max pushing the tray towards her and quietly informing what each thing was.

Silence soon fell over the trio, Neil and Cass eating whilst Max sipped on his juice. Cass happily ate the slop, oblivious to the tension between her brother and his friend.

He slowly made his way through his own food, not quite adjusted to the crap on his plate. He took this moment to once again study Max. Neil knew he would be sixteen now but he couldn’t help but feel like someone much older was sitting in front of him, watching to make sure their child ate properly. It didn’t seem to entirely add up for Max to just be Cass’s brother. The way the pair worked seemed much more parent-child like than bro-sister. Max still looked like a child/teenager though. He was still Max. His maturity just seemed to grow as he did too, always making him older than he actually was.  
Neil knew where that maturity came from too. He understood the basics of it from the nights he had spent coaxing him down from panic attacks and night terrors. He briefly wondered if he still had them, if his parents had improved any. He doubted they had.

Max just hadn’t seemed to change much. He was still the same pessimistic asshole who hated camp, the same guy who watched Space Kid’s suit go up in flame as a prank turned out much better than planned with pure glee. He was just now a teenager, like the rest of them, except he still held a lot more expectations to himself than anyone else did. 

His eating habits hadn’t changed, He grimly thought, noting that Max had not taken as much as a bite from the meal he had grabbed.

Before he could ask if Max wanted any of his food, Nikki came crashing down onto the table. “Neil! Max! Mini Max!” She exclaimed excitedly, “Oh god, Max, now that you’re back we’re gonna have such amazin’ adventures! I’m sure Mini Max could join too!!” She turned to the younger girl who seemed to be stunned by such energy, “Hi Mini Max, I’m Nikki!”

Cass hesitated before standing on the bench to be level with Nikki, “I’m Cass!” Her tone was soft but it was clear to see she was excited and nervous to be around others. 

Max sighed softly, gently pulling Cass down. “C’mon, sit down and finish your meal, sweetheart. I’ll let you go and play with Nik tomorrow if you sleep through the night, deal?” The smaller Indian seemed to contemplate this before nodding, happily continuing to eat.

Neil smirked, “Sweetheart?” 

“What, honey?” Max easily replied in a teasing tone, meeting eyes with Neil as he flushed.

“Y’all too gay for me. I expect to have that playdate with Cass tomorrow, Max.” The green haired girl retreated, skip in her step at the prospect of getting to play with the little girl.

“You’re literally going back to your girlfriend, dyke!” Neil called after her whilst Max hummed in reply.

Cass spoke up, “Do i really get to play with her?” She sounded sort of amazed at the prospect of getting to be around others.

“Yeah,” Max responded, “Nikki is basically a six-year-old too so it’ll be like those playdates you sometimes do with Reese.” He absently brushed some curls off her face. Cass responded with a quiet ‘cool’ before continuing to eat. Max turned to Neil with a raised brow, “Nikki ‘nd Nerris?”

“Mhm. Nik has her over literally every day or they go to Nerris’s. Oh! Right, my dad and Nik’s mom got married a few months after camp ended.” He put the last of his ‘mash potato’ into his mouth. Once done, he took note of Max’s raised brow and instantly understood the silent question. “It’s actually not that bad. Candy’s a decent house wife and she’s somehow made my dad bearable.

“That’s good dude, I’m happy for you.” Max replied softly, still looking guarded but the look in his eye told Neil he really meant it. Noticing Cass and Neil were now both done, Max handed the younger girl her juice box and helped her off the bench. She waited with her hand raised before Max took it in his own. “C’mon, Nerd.” The nonchalant tone was clearly aimed at him.

Neil stood, following beside the pair in silence as Max led the way to the main campsite. They made their way to a tent, Max holding it open for Neil who confusedly went in. He instantly noticed there were three cots, two located on one side, close together.

“David,” Max began, “Told me you were coming and I kinda assumed you’d wanna-”

“Yeah, this is cool.” Neil cut in. He went over to the free cot, throwing his bag besides it before sitting. He turned away as Max motioned for him too, turning back after a moment to see the little girl swaddled in a familiar hoodie, Max helping her onto one of the cots.

“Alright, it’s bedtime now so you need to go. I’ll be right here with Neil all night. We have the normal drill so don’t be afraid to get me, okay?” The girl hummed in response, pulling a small bunny close into her arms as Max tucked her in. Neil had never seen the other boy talk to anyone in such a fond tone.  
Max made his way over to Neil, plopping down beside him. “She’ll be asleep in a minute,” He informed.

Oh.

A minute must have passed before Max sucked in a deep breath, “‘Suppose you have a lot of questions?”


	3. What Happened?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max explains a little of what happened during the six years he was gone.

Neil stared at Max for a moment, gnawing on his lip as he thought. Max most likely didn’t want him to beat around the bush. He had always found that Max responded better to bluntness so simply blurted out, “What the fuck even happened?”

Max snorted, running a hand through his messy curls, “That’ll do the job.” Before Neil had a chance to apologise, Max continued, “This may take a while so if you need me to stop just… tell me, yeah?”

Neil nodded. He focussed solely on Max.

The pair now sat facing one another, Max sitting with one leg on the cot whilst the other dangled off, Neil sat crisscrossed. “Aight. So, at the end of the summer we shared, the driver my parents hired picked me up after everyone was gone, y’know, normal. I knew my ammaa was pregnant, never really knew how far she was along. We never addressed it before they threw me off to camp again.” Max paused, seeming to debate on whether or not to say his next words, “I was terrified for the kid. I have no idea how I even made it to being a toddler, I was just thrown around to nanny to nanny whilst my parents worked.

“When I arrived home from camp, I noticed this fucking baby on the couch and my pitaajii basically told me she was my problem now. That kicked off a massive argument,” The Indian scoffed, “I didn’t see them for about a month after that. They just left me with an unnamed newborn and about a thousand in cash. I was ten, dude, fucking ten years old and suddenly had this baby to deal with.” Max stopped for a moment, staring at his hands as he fiddled with them. Neil was already left speechless at the bit of information the teen had given him so far. He knew it was only going to get worse.

Sighing, he continued, “In short, I dropped out of mainstream education. I’m lucky I was in the grade above and had perfect grades, it meant i could just drop back down a grade and use that school year I had practically free to fucking raise a baby. I barely had shit before Cass and I lost fucking everything. I actually had a bit of childhood before those fucktards forced me to practically become a parent,” He seethed, “I just… My entire life was flipped from living on my own and doing whatever the fuck i wanted to sharing it with a kid i was being forced to raise.

“‘Couldn’t complain though, got the chance to give something my parents created the love and attention it deserved. I don’t think anyone was even around when I started to walk but when Cass started to walk I was so fuckin’ proud, dude. It was so weird, if I watched someone elses kid start to walk I wouldn’t give two shits, y’know? But it was Cass! It was like…”

Neil finished for him, “She was yours?”

Max stared at him for a moment before looking over at where Cass was sleeping, “Yeah.” His voice was incredibly soft, fond even. “I managed to set up a system for Cass to be around another kid. One of the neighbours have a grandkid and they suggested Cass and Reese should play dates together. I wasn’t sure but I knew it was important for her development or some shit. Plus, it gave me a chance to do work and clean the house without having to worry if Cass was eating a lego block or some shit. Not gonna lie, it was weird to have her gone for the hour or two she was. I don’t even get how none of their family became suspicious. I had to teach Cass to not mention that I’m her papa - she picked up on calling me that from Reese - because Mary had become confused. Oh, Mary is one of Reese’s moms. Cass is starting kindergarten after this summer so things will be a bit easier for me, I guess.

“I know the circumstances are bad but… Cass is kinda just my kid, y’know? I managed to give her a chance of happiness so she wouldn’t become as fucked as I am.”

“Max.” Neil finally spoke, his tone commanding attention. It shocked Max that the nerd could grab one's attention like that. “You’re not fucked… well, maybe a little. This entire situation is fucked ‘and your parents need to go to jail, dude, but don’t kick yourself so much. You managed to raise a fucking kid whilst being a kid yourself, it’s incredibly.” He breathed out the end, eyes trained on Max’s. Max looked completely stunned. They sat in near silence for thirty seconds before tears began to roll down Max’s face.

Neil began to panic, “Shit, shit, shit. Did I say something wrong? Oh fuck, you’ve never done th-” He was cut off as he was pulled into a hug.

Max had wrapped his arms around Neil's neck, pulling him down and burying his head into Neil’s neck. “You’re such a nerd,” His voice was hoarse and muffled but Neil took the fact that he was talking as a good sign.

“And you’re such a dad, now. Since when did you willingly touch anyone.” He teased, wrapping his arms around Max. He felt the vibrations of Max likely telling him to ‘shut up’. They stayed in this position for a minute, Neil enjoying the warmth Max gave and waiting for the boy to stop crying. 

Max broke away, tapping Neil’s head twice as he moved back. Neil was half expecting the boys usual ‘Don’t let anyone ever know that this happened’ but it never came. “Thanks for listening.”

“Anytime.” 

And just like that the moment was over, Max standing and stretching. “You should get some sleep,” He instructed. He noted that Max didn’t change, simply shedding his hoodie and throwing it onto his bag before climbing onto his cot. There was a pause. “Night, Neil.”

A smile.

“Night, Max.”

That was the first night Max had slept well in nearly six years. That was the first night in a few months that Neil had struggled to sleep, plagued by the thoughts who’s main content was the two Indians in the tent.


	4. Somewhat-Normal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and Neil vibe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wrote this in 30 minutes after a meltdown somehow so like... it gonna be shit but we can handle that  
> i have no idea where im going with this but im aiming for crappily written angst and soft moment

Neil awoke the next day to the feeling of a small hand hitting his face. He opened his eyes and noticed it was Cass, sat in his cot as she continued to whack him to wake him.

“Cass, Cass, stop. I'm awake.” The moment he spoke the slapping stopped. 

A bright grin spread across her face in greeting of the teen, “G’morning, Neil! Maxie asked if you still drank coffee? He’s making some?”

Neil sat up, looking down at the girl as he processed her words. He took note of her navy blue dress that, being this close to her, he could tell it was handmade. He assumed Max’s handiwork. “Yes I do. Where is he?”

The young child tried to climb off the bed, Neil making sure she didn’t fall. Once on the floor she looked up at him with a bright grin, “Change! I will take you.” 

He hummed in reply, watching as Cass sat on her and Max’s bag. He dug through his own, grabbing a shirt and jeans. He quickly changed, mindful of the child watching him. Once done, he turned to her, smiling as he noticed her hair was braid that was near perfectly done. The idea of Max dressing Cass in a pretty dress she liked and sitting patiently as he braided her hair, content with helping his baby sister feel pretty and happy.

Cass went to the tent opening, holding her hand for him to take before dragging him off to Mess Hall. She skipped besides him, excitedly rambling about how ‘Maxie’ had promised to find a good story to read which then led to her explaining some of the books she had at home.

She continued, even as they entered the hall and everyone who was already there glanced at them. Cass dragged them to the kitchen, Neil’s eyes landing on Max slumped by the coffee machine. 

The two sixteen-year-olds made eye contact before Max turned again and poured another cup of coffee. “Milk and sugar?” Neil hummed, watching as Max made it exactly as he liked it. For two people who hadn’t seen each other in nearly six years they were somehow still very intune.  
Max handed him the drink before kneeling down in front of Cass, “Sweetie, go finish your food with Nik and then I’ll let you go play with her, yeah?”

The girl nodded and practically ran back off too Nikki, greeting each other excitedly.

Neil didn’t miss Max’s fond smile. He thought about how he had never seen Max smile this much in… well, ever. He took a sip of his coffee, groaning, “How you always make these perfect astounds me.”

Max smirked, downing his steaming coffee. “Yeah, well I’ve been drinking since I was like six so…” He trailed off. “I need to do some reading with Cass later but after can we go blow some shit up?” And just like that he watched as he slipped out of his parental mindset and into that of his teenage one.

Neil grinned, causing Max to glare. “No, dude, we totally can. I just find it funny that you can be all dad like one second and then ask if we can go explode something.”

Max groaned, filling his coffee up again before brushing past Neil. The older boy smirked, following him back to the table that held Nikki, Nerris and Cass. All three girls were chatting excitedly. Nerris was making sure that Nikki stayed to a level that the youngest would understand.

Cass bounced in her seat when she noticed her older brother (parental figure?, Neil questioned in his mind) approaching. Max raised a brow as he sat besides her, encouraging her to speak. “I wanna play with Nikki and Nerris today! Can I? Can I? Can I?”

Neil watched as Max seemed to contemplate this, clearly dragging it out as he looked between all the girls before focussing in on Cass. “Have you eaten all your food?” A nod. “Had a drink?” Another nod. “Hmmm. Nerris?” This caught the older girl by surprise. Max took her attention as a ‘continue’, “Will you watch Cass and come get me if she’s hurt?”

Nerris cooed, “Aw, Max! You’re such a good dad!” - “Not her dad” - “But, yeah. I babysit Nik all the time so it’ll be fun!”

Nikki cried out, “I’m your girlfriend!”

They all chose to ignore her, Max smirking as he looked down at Cass and noticing her pleading look. “Oh, I’m not sure. You wanna make a deal?” The girl hurriedly nodded. “Okay, if you promise to be good for Nerris and Nikki and eat all your food tonight I’ll let you go.” 

Cass contemplated this, slumping a little as she thought before standing to be eye level with Max and holding her hand out. They shook. “Okay, can i go now?” Max nodded, sending a look to Nerris and Nikki that read ‘if she has a scrape on her I’ll fuck you up’.

“Be good, love you.” She replied in a similar manner, hugging Max before climbing down.

The trio left, leaving Neil and Max alone once more. Max sighed, stacking the girls trays together. That's when Neil noticed Max didn’t have any food again.

“Have you eaten?” Neil put some of the ‘mashed potatoes’ in his mouth as he awaited an answer. He knew eating was always a sensitive subject with Max, who rarely ate due to never really having it in his house.

He watched Max tense up, shaking his head. “Nah. I only really eat lunch and then a little bit of dinner.” Neil hummed, knowing not to press.

They fell into a comfortable silence. Max had his head in his arms, attempting to block out the noise of other campers. Neil studied him as he ate. It was crazy how different yet similar Max was. The dude had definitely grown up ten times faster than anyone else Neil had ever met had. He’d been through a lot. But back when they first met, Max still had a childhood. That had been  
stripped by his parents yet again when thrusting the responsibility of a child on him.  
He knew a lot of the changes Max had been through were… terrible, but he had to admit that Max seemed a lot softer now, allowing more touches without much of a fuss, more smiles here and there. It just sucked that all of that had to come from something as traumatic as having to raise a baby when you’re only a child yourself.

“Dude,” Max grumbled, “Stop staring and finish eating. I’m fucking tired of hearing Preston’s voice.” Neil grinned at that, making eye contact with Max, who had shifted so his head was directed towards Neil.

Following his friends orders, Neil finished his food quickly. The two teenagers got up, exiting the hall together. They managed to hide from David and Gwen, Max being on high alert as always, likely looking out for Cass anyway. Max took them to the Quartermasters shed, Neil standing guard whilst he grabbed whatever he wanted for their first mischief in nearly six years.  
Neil barely raised a brow when Max emerged with a smirk, holding an armful of fireworks in various sizes, a small box of matches in his hands. He nearly laughed, closing the door behind the shorter boy before the pair made their way into the forest. Max had stated that they needed to not go too far, “in case Nikki hurts Cassidy” he explained. Neil could tell Max was anxious to leave the girl alone with teenagers, especially after (as far as he knew) he had only left her alone with 3-4 adults in her entire life, so he didn’t put up a fight.

They settled in a small opening, Max dropping the fireworks. There was that spark of mischief in his eye, plan formed in his mind. “Fuckin’ David probably thinks I’m all grown up, this’ll show him.” His mumbles likely weren’t meant to be heard so Neil left it. “Alright, nerd. Can we set these to go off tonight? David still does those shitty Welcome Back bonfires, aight?”

“Yep.”

“Perfect. If we set it up now, one of us can come back before the ‘fire and set it off, yeah?” Max began to dig one of the fireworks sticks into the ground. His aura of confidence always helped Neil become wrapped up in these pranks, whether big or little. He hoped once Max became more settled they would perform some of their great pranks and plans like old times. That would be great.

“Stop smiling like an idiot and come help.” Max commanded, finally getting the firecracker in to the point that it wouldn’t instantly fall. Neil grabbed one from the pile and began to help dig it into the ground.

It took a bit of time to properly get all the fireworks in to the point that they won't fall before Max took control again and began to tie all the strings on the fireworks together, leaving one hanging out. “This way we dont need to individually light on. Light this middle one, get back and Bam! Angry Gwen and disappointed David.”

Neil found himself smiling softly at the mischievous glint in Max’s eye, the boyish smile on his face. Feelings that Neil hadn’t felt in years began to dance in his belly. It felt… nice to watch Max shift into his old demeanor, even if it would last for only a few moments before all his worries came crashing back down.  
Max had been one of the first people to see past his nerdiness, noticing his potential to cause chaos and forming the little trio they had. Max had pulled them together and brought the controlled chaos to the group, always at the top of his game as he bounced from plan to plan. He had always been good at controlling situations, manipulating people so they would believe they had all controls whilst he truly pulled all the strings. Skills like those always came from shit places and the person holding them always had thousands of walls they would scare most away. Not many would get over those walls, especially considering Max’s natural asshole attitude.

Neil had though. He climbed those walls, broke past them and got closer to Max than anyone else. Neil himself knew that. He knew Max had never meant to let him in but he had and their dynamic had grown, the two becoming their own private unit. Neil would function as Max’s pillow whenever the boy had grown tired; Max made their coffees as he was usually awake first; They easily moved in sync with each other; Neil would ramble to Max whenever his anxiety got too much; Max would have Neil sit with him so he didn’t feel alone whenever his mind was eating at him, no words needing to be shared. They had quickly found a way to live together, having first bonded over their hatred of Camp but growing somewhat fond of eachother, even if they never outwardly showed it to most of camp.

The eleven-year-old Neil had developed strange butterflies in his stomach that appeared whenever Max would arrive. He would flush in the boys presence, at the tiny touches he would make, at practically anything he did. The young genius hadn’t understood what those feelings were at the time, assuming them to be the result of being so close to someone. Sixteen-year-old Neil now identified those feelings as a crush. To be honest, he needed to thank Max for helping him discover that he was pansexual, but that would cause some awkwardness so he kept it quiet.

It was strange though. How were these feelings even returning now, after six years? It made no sense. He’d only been around the other teen for less than a day and those pesky butterflies still wanted to do some dramatic ass rendition of Romeo and Juliet in his belly!

Sighing, Neil sat down against a tree, watching Max ensure no critter could come and undo any of the knots. Max seemed to feel the eyes on his back, turning to Neil with a blank face. They were at a standoff for a moment before Max came over, sitting besides him. Huh, usually Neil would have to move closer to the smaller boy but it seemed that having a kid meant Max was more willing to be closer to people. Maybe just those he trusts though, Neil knew a lifetime of trust issues hung over Max.

“Hey, uhh, Neil.” Max paused, seeming to hesitate to say his next words. Neil waited. “This is gonna sound weird but you’re the only one at this camp with a brain so… yeah.” He raised a brow to that, not disagreeing. “So, like, i think I’ve… I’ve forgotten how to be a kid.”

Oh. Yeah that was to be expected, but Neil had never expected Max to be open about it and admit it aloud.

By the conflicted look on Max’s face, he knew the other had more to say. “When we were younger it was, I dunno, easier? To be a kid, i guess. I only had to worry about if our next plan was The One to break David. I didn’t even have to worry about home because i knew here at camp i would be… safe? Comforted. I know I never had much of a childhood but at least here I could allow myself the chance to pretend I’m normal.” Max stared down at his hands, clenching and unclenching them, “But then I had a kid and suddenly I had zero room to be a child. I had to change everything for Cass. don't get me wrong, I love her and i wouldn’t give her up for shit but i just…” He trailed off, unsure how to finish.

With a frown on his face, Neil jumped in, “You lost yourself?”

Max let out a soft laugh and a weak “yeah”. “Like, fuck, the old Max wouldn’t of let anyone know about this shit if he could help it. But here I am, venting out to my childhood best friend for the second time in twelve hours like I’m some bitch.”

“The old Max wasn’t pretty much a dad,” He pointed out.

He scoffed, “Yeah. Old Max was always kinda soft around you though, glad I could keep at least that.”

Neil noted that Max was beginning to fidget more, a typical sign that he was uncomfortable. “Yeah, well, i worked fucking hard to tear down some of your walls.”

Max threw a twig at him, “I let you in, asshat.”

“Keep telling yourself that.”

“Dickhead.”

Neil grinned, it was like nothing had changed. Like they hadn’t changed. Max scooched up closer, resting his weight against the same tree Neil was, a comfortable silence washing over them again. He could get used to this.  
Nikki rarely allowed him a moment to think when in her presence, rambling about literally anything that came to mind. She was always his go too for when his mind was melting, knowing some crap she would say would easily distract him. But there were rarely quiet, comfortable moments with them. With Max he had the chance to recharge whilst also being in someone's presence, someone who also enjoyed the quiet and time to dwell on thoughts. Plus, Max was academically smart and could likely take Neil on during one of those types of arguments. He had never outwardly admitted his academic intelligence but Neil knew, sadly it was just always hidden under his standoff-ish personality and chaotic nature.

“Stop thinking so much, it’s distracting.” He turned to see Max’s face close to his own. They both seemed to realise how close they were, flushing as they turned away. Neil got up and stared at the fireworks in an attempt to control his heart.

“Wanna go find Nik, Nerris and Cass?” He asked, his answer coming as Max stood and begun to walk off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as to why so much of this has ended up in neils pov is beyond my dumbass


	5. David Talks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and Neil try to find Cass, Nik and Nerris but end up meeting two campers before Max is dragged off to have a feelies talk with David!

They easily found their way back to camp, both eyes peeled for a sign of any of the girls they were searching for. They eventually found themselves at the activity area.

Max hadn’t paid much attention to this area when he and Cass had arrived yesterday. Now he was here in broad daylight, he took notice of the changes. Ered’s Xtreme Sports camp had been taken down and seemed to be climbed by Space Kid, who had extended his space stage and upgraded his rocket ship a bit. He knew SK was likely to be one of those kids who never grew up but seeing it shocked him, if only a little.  
Other camps seemed to have gotten an upgrade too, Max unsure if that was the result of the campers themselves being here for so long or if it was due to David coming into a bit of money. He’ll interrogate him later.

Nerris’ castle seemed a lot more stable now, made less of cardboard and more of wood that had been painted to hold that fantasy look she always went with. He also took note of the flag coming out the top of the castle, the pride flag waving in the wind. Max smirked at that before turning his attention to Preston’s set up away from the main stage. The guy seemed to have it more put together, costumes organised on a rack with a box full of fabrics that was messy. Another box held blank paper, a stack on top indicating that those were the ones Preston had a play written in.  
Harrisons little stag was next. The props he had appeared to not be falling apart every time someone touched them, organised neatly on a table. His stage had probably changed the least, Max recalling having overheard Nerris make fun of Harrison for taking such pride in his stage, saying that even her castle was more sturdy. That definitely seemed the case now.  
Dolph’s art section was, as always, both organised and messy. It now had a roof over it, allowing Dolph to leave his work out instead of the usual trails to and from the mess hall each day just to pack away all of his supplies. The table was now on a large piece of wood, allowing it to be more stable - Max briefly recalled the memory of Nikki sliding off the table after jumping on, claiming it was like a slide due to the angle.

A small smile spread across his face as he finally turned to Neils science camp. His friend now had proper beakers and chemicals that seemed less unstable lined up along the seemingly handmade table. He als now had a chair that Max took the liberty of sitting on as he pulled through the draws, noting all of Neil's notebooks that had scribbled equations in. “Nerd.” He snorted.

Footsteps approached, Max noticing Neil walking up to him. When had he left? And who was that with him?

“Max, Kate says she hasn’t seen Nik or the other two since breakfast.” This made his brows draw in worry. He knew he could trust Nikki (Or at least Nerris) to protect Cass, even if it was out of fear of what he would do to them if she came back with a scratch.  
Neil caught his attention again, “Theo told me he hasn’t heard any screaming, though, so that’s a good start. Nerris tends to scream whenever something goes wrong.” He waved towards the boy stood beside the little girl.

They looked around the same age, maybe nine or ten by Max’s estimate. They adorned similar features of dark skin and black hair. The girl had her long curls tamed using a headband that must be stronger than David’s need to salute the camp flag, dressed in a white shirt that was tucked into a pink skirt. The boy had his hair cut short, he wore a tank top which dorned japanese on it with black shorts. Max assumed them to be siblings.

The girl - Kate? - was staring up at him until she gained the confidence to speak, “Preston says that the kid is yours?”

Max scowled, “Well Preston is a fucking idiot. She’s my sister.” His nasty tone seemed to put her off. He sighed. How the hell had he managed to raise Cass and never have her look at him like that. “Sorry, habit.” He crouched down slightly to be more eye level with her and her brother, “Max.”

He held his hand out, the girl hesitating before shaking. “Kate. I’m here for Chess camp. Theo is for anime camp.”

Nerds. He nodded, “Cool.” 

This seemed to inflate the girls confidence as she gave a big grin, turning to look at Neil who seemed semi-shocked that Max could be nice to kids. “You told us Max was mean! Liar!”

“I/He is.” The pair responded at the same time, Neil deadpanning whilst Max smirked. The two siblings exchanged a glance, seeming to debate on what to say next to the teenagers.

Before they had the chance to speak, however, David appeared out of almost nowhere. “Neil! Do you mind taking the twins to go have their meds? I need a quick chat with Max.” His chipper tone not wavering, nor did his grin as he waited for the trio to get out of earshot before turning to Max. “Hey bud,” His tone quickly fell into a softer one, one that Max had gotten used to hearing when it was just the two of them but hadn’t heard in years, “D’you wanna go to the cabin to talk?”

Max shrugged and followed the older man to the cabin, closing the door behind them and sitting in Gwen’s chair. David wheeled his own over, holding two pieces of paper. “I’m not gonna ask much about Cass, it’s up to you to tell Gwen or I about that stuff. Just know that, even though it’s been a few years, I’ll always be here for you. So will Gwen.” Max avoided making eye contact, choosing to stare at David’s knees. “That also means that if you don’t feel comfortable leaving Cass with any of the campers but want too, y’know, be a kid for a little bit, you can always leave her with me.” 

His eyes snapped up to meet David’s, not knowing how to respond. The only adults who had shown genuine kindness to his situation, even though they didn’t know any of it, had been Reese’s family. “I, uhh,” He paused, unsure how to respond.

David grinned, “No need for any of that. What i do need however issssss,” He placed the pieces of paper down at the desk, revealing them to be his and Cass’s applications, “For you to decide on a camp for you and Cass. You’re old enough to do your own and since… the situation, I’m gonna let you choose hers, too!”

Max nodded, dumbly staring at the pages. He had no idea what to put for either of them even though he could literally put anything.

David seemed to notice this and asked, “What does Cass like?”

“Uhhh, she likes when i read to her and likes to dress up in whatever i can make her. I spent ages making one of my old shirts into a little Jasmine outfit for her, I still need to fix that…” He trailed off, remembering how she had come home from a playdate with a tear in it, Reese’s mom apologising constantly. “I guess her main thing at the minute is fashion? She likes to get dressed up and feel like a princess. Dude, no one ever told me how hard it is to find a kid a fake tiara that makes them ‘feel like Barbie at the end of her princess films’.” He noticed the look David was giving him. It was one of those sympathy-pity looks. “What?” He growled.

“I’m so sorry you have to, I’m assuming, raise your little sister. I’ve never had teen-parents at camp before and I never would have guessed it to be you.” David’s look turned fond. “I’ll put her down for princess camp, I’m sure we can figure out something she’ll like with that.” He wrote it down before turning back to Max, “And for you?”

The question stunned him a little. It had been forever since someone had genuinely asked what he wanted to do and what he liked… the last person probably was David. What did he even like anyway? He was always rushing around and helping Cass with everything that he couldn’t even process the idea of having separate interests that were his own. “Uhm,”

“You don’t need to answer. You don’t even need to give me a camp but i do want you to promise me one thing?” Max tilted his head. “Please take these next few months as a break. Try and be a kid again whenever Cass isn’t around. I don’t understand what you’re going through but i know being a parent is draining, especially a single one. But you’re still a kid, Max.” David noticed how Max wanted to protest but continued on, “I want you, Neil and Nikki to be your trio again, be kids together. I know Neil can help. I can tell you’re not used to being around kids your age and that you likely won’t be again, even when Cassidy starts kindergarten. I just… i wish i could help you better but currently i can attempt too by helping you have at leats a few weeks with less responsibilities. If Cass and I or her and Gwen can make a relationship where she trusts us enough to leave you to play with us for a while we will happily take her. We’ve both agreed to help you whenever and however we can. Our first step is to… help you be you again.”

Max gaped at this. He wasn’t quite sure how to respond. His body seemed too, as tears sprung to his eyes and he threw himself into David’s arms for a quick hug before pulling away. He wiped at his eyes with a sigh, “Thanks.” He croaked out.

“Of course, Max. If I had known this, whatever all of this is, was going on, I would have been there for you… but I’m here for you now Max, I promise.” David placed his hand on Max’s shoulder, giving him a warm squeeze. “I’m not blind to the way she looks at you like you’re her dad and how you’re… struggling to be a child. I just want to reassure you that you’re safe here and have a strong family network, even if none of us are blood related.”

Max nodded mutely, still unsure on how to take this. After a moment he mumbled, “Thanks for being so… good with all of this. If you need any help with Princess Camp, just tell me.” He moved to the door, wanting to get away from all of the sappy emotions David was making him feel. “Uhh,” He paused at the door, “Love you.” He quickly slammed the cabin door and stormed off, aiming to find the trio of girls of Neil.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dadvid dadvid dadvid  
> their relationship is precious asdkhbewodhb
> 
> also why tf did i upload the first three chapters and then binge wrote the next few??? that may be beyond me but oh well, this story is for fun. im mainly doing this to cure my boredom and give me something easyish to write whilst i write one shots
> 
> hope you enjoyed this chap!!!


	6. The Princess, The Knight and The Sorceress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nerris and Nikki's time with Cass!

The trio hadn’t strayed too far from Camp, Nerris suspecting that Max would blow a fuse if they managed to hurt Cass in any way. She guessed Nikki must have had the same train of thought, excitedly talking to the young girl but making sure to keep an eye on her.

Nerris smiled softly. She had never seen Nikki with kids this young before and it seemed like she easily connected with them, as expected. It made some weird spike in her lower region at the idea of her and Nik having a young child like this, knowing Nikki would want to be the cool mom. Their dynamic would probably be like her own parents; one fun, rule bending parent whilst the other enforced the rules but was overall really sweet.

Snapping out of the thoughts of their future, Nerris felt a calloused hand slip into her own. She looked and saw Nikki’s excited grin, “Babe, we should drag Max and Neil out here and have a picnic! Maybe we should suggest it to David? Cass was saying that she’s never been on one so I think it’ll be awesome!”

“Yes! We could have a camp picnic and play games and everything!” Nerris quickly hopped on with the idea, the idea of the whole camp having a picnic day… Maybe at the shore? That would be awesome!

Cass suddenly appeared in front of them, “Can we really? I always saw those on TV but I didn’t know you could have them for real!” The locks of curls that had fallen out of her braid bounced as she talked, the girl jumping a bit in excitement. “Maxie could make us those triangle sandwiches!”

Both girls held back a laugh at the idea of Max making a bunch of sandwiches for the entire camp. Neither could really imagine him taking care of kids in general, they were sure that thought was one that most campers who knew Max shared.

Gwen’s words from the night previous rang in Nerris’s head; ‘Cass, the little girl, is Max’s sister. I don’t want anyone to give him shit for it and if i hear anyone harassing him for details you won’t get desert’. That hadn’t stopped everyone from gossiping about Max potentially being a father hidden under the guise of an older brother. An idea sparked in her head, her curiosity over the subject winning over her logical side. “Hey Cass? What’s it like living with Max?”

She met Nikki’s curious glance with a wink, the other girl seeming to catch on quickly.

The six-year-old seemed to pause at the question, rocking back and forth on her heels. “Well, Maxie is kinda like my pitaajii but he always tells me he’s not and that I shouldn’t repeat that to anyone. But whenever we watch shows he reminds me of the mommies and daddies on that!” She explained, excitably. “He usually tells me people aren’t too accepting of him being such a young dad or something. I don’t get why but,” She shrugs.

Nikki speaks up, “Is he your… pit-ah-ji?”

“Pitaajii.” She corrected, “But, uhh, I’m not sure. I think he is but he always tells me I’m his sister. He does all the things a daddy would do, like help me clean and dress and feeds me! He likes to make me pretty dresses whenever I see one I like but he can’t buy it! Like this one!” She did a twirl before choosing to flop down onto the dirt, being followed by Nerris and Nikki who were listening intently to the girl as she talked, waving her arms about. “He always fixes everything I break, which is a pretty dad thing to do I think? And he doesn’t yell at me for it! One time when I was with Reese and he got yelled at a lot. Maxie tends to just be sad and askes me to not do it again. Toys shouldn’t be that easy to break then!” She exclaimed, whacking the ground in annoyance.

“Preach.” Nikki comments, grinning wildly. Nerris met her eye to see she seemed to also be thinking ‘Holy fuck Max is a decent parent’.

The younger girl continued, “He’s really nice to live with, the bestest!”

Nerris nodded with a soft smile dawning her face. Cass seemed excited to be around others and was much more open than her older brother. It was a strange contrast, she would have never suspected her and Max to be related if it wasn’t for looking so incredibly alike. The little girl just seemed… to be such a happy little girl, even considering the strange life she seemed to be born into. Nerris suspected that she didn’t get to see her actual parents much, having never mentioned her during her rambles. Nerris also took into account the conversations she had been present for between Neil and Nikki when the pair brought up Max, Neil once letting slip that Max’s parents were barely home. He had followed up by telling them Max had said something about how he lived home alone for months on end. 

Biting her lip, Nerris gently asked, “Cass, do you know anything about your birth parents?”

The girl shook her head, “I know they came to home once. Maxie made me hide in his room. There was lots of yelling.” At the mention of the yelling, Cass seemed to curl in on herself a bit. Ah. Fuck.

Nikki jumped in, “It be like that sometimes! Do you wanna go play Castle?” The abrupt change in conversation seemed to work, Cass jumping to her feet with a look of pure glee shining in her eyes.

“I’m the princess!”

And with that they were off back to camp, discussing between one another their roles. By the time they got to the castle it was decided that their kingdom was being attacked by a fierce dragon and that Knight Nikki and Sorceress Nerris were responsible for keeping Princess Cass safe. The teens dramatically shielded the girl as they made a run for Nerris’s castle (both running at a pace suitable for the short six year olds pace). They dived in, all climbing to the top, each wrapped up in their imagination.

Nikki held a stick, waving it occasionally in the air to protect them from the imaginary dragon, Nerris holding her staff and casting spells beside her.

“Princess,” Nikki cried out, “Be careful! We don’t want the dragon to hurt you!”

Cass laughing, “Pfft! A dragon could never hurt me! I’m a princess! THE Princess of Camp!!” She hit her hand to her chest before resting them both on her hip, doing a superhero pose. 

“Princesses can still get hurt when falling from their castle,” A new voice cut in. The girls peered off the side of the castle to see Max stood at the entrance, hands stuffed in his pockets. “Princesses also need their naps,” He raised a brow at them.

As if on cue, Cass let out a loud yawn. “But, Maxie! I wanna play with Nikki and Nerris!”

“And you can play with them after your nap,” He smirked, “You can’t slay the dragon if you’re tired. It’ll mean Nerris has to use more mana to keep you awake so you’ll be losing.” His sister contemplated this logic, placing a hand on her chin.

Nikki and Nerris grinned at each other, Nikki leaning off the edge and mouthing ‘Dad’ to Max, who flipped her off just before Cass looked up. “He makes a point!”

“Alright. Hows this, me and Ner will defend the castle whilst you nap and we can carry on once you’re awake?” Nikki offered, helping Cass down. The youngest nodded enthusiastically before running up to Max.

He swiftly lifted her and sat her on his hip. He tucked some of her hair behind her ears and began to make his way to the campsite, the two girls following him. Cass rambled about the big trees she saw, resting her head on Max’s shoulder.

“-There are no big trees like that in the city. Oh! Maxie, can we have a picnic?” The teen hummed in response, stroking her head. She yawned at that and fell silent.

Once sure the girl was half way off to slumberland, Nikki and Nerris flanked his sides with big grins. “We’ve decided we are her aunts,” Nikki informs him.

Nerris continued, “She’s so cute! Why couldn't you have been like that?” Max sent her a sharp look that wasn’t as harsh as it would be if he didn’t have a child cuddling him.

“I’m not her dad so you’re not being her aunts, plus you’re not even related too us.” He gruffly responded.

The two girlfriends shared a look before Nikki winked at Max. “Sure you’re not. But hey! Maybe we could be related to you if you finally got with Neil!” Nikki grabbed Nerris’s hand and pulled her away, both grinning wildly when they turned back to see Max frozen and tense, possibly blushing. Both girls laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nikki and Nerris are totally shit stirrers and the perfect couple..  
> Thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed!! <3


	7. Rekindled Comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and Neil find comfort in each others presence again, we get an insight into Max's mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i asknwoihh i had to change the title because i realised it was still four years omfg, this is why you don't write a book with only a few hours sleep over a few days.
> 
> anyway, this chapter is neil/max central and focuses on max!!!
> 
> hope you enjoy!

After putting Cass down for a nap, Max found himself sitting outside the mess hall, leaning back against the wall with a coffee. He found himself lost in thought once again. He allowed himself to drown out his surroundings whilst thinking, knowing the six-year-old was safe in the tent.

What had Nikki meant by him and Neil? The two hadn’t seen each other in years, there was no way for either of them to possess those kinds of feelings for one another. Sure, the two had easily managed to flow into the old pace they had created when they first met but that was likely just normal for people with their kind of relationship, right?  
A bond like they had couldn’t be broken and was easily restored in just a day. Sure, it freaked him out a little but the idea of being around others his age was overwhelming. Could you blame him? He had been only in the presence of a young child and occasional adults who were easily three times his age for the last six years. 

And who the hell did Nikki think she was? She had no idea what went on his mind! She couldn't even possibly try to guess how he felt about anything. Max barely knew how he was feeling most of the time. Feelings are just too goddamn difficult for him to spend too much time focussing on them. Plus, there was no way he could even have those kinds of feelings for the nerd. Neil was just… close. They had their rhythm, understood each other on a different level, one that no one else had even tried to find with him. Neil just understood him. He was there to help him through the nightmares and panic attacks just as he was there to help him with his social anxiety and to pull him back when he got fixated on another science-y thing and fell off the rails.   
Max hadn’t expected them to return to that but after last night and this morning he had a feeling that they would. Neil had managed to barely change from what he could see so far. He was still a massive nerd with his self proclaimed ‘jewfro’. The memory caused him to smirk, a warm fluttery feeling stirrin in his stomach. Yeah, Neil was pretty great….

The teen frowned. His brows furrowed as he focussed in on tha thought. There was no way he would be getting those gooey feelings for Neil. Not in a million fucking years.

He didn’t notice footsteps approaching him nor did he hear the soft chuckle. A warm hand placed itself onto his scarred fists. The familiar tone spoke, “Don’t wanna know what’s got you peeved but I suggest we scatter before David finds us.”

Max looked up to see Neil crouched in front of him, a flush spreading across his face. He quietly sent a prayer to Vishnu for his skintone being just dark enough to hide the flush. “Huh?” He commented dumbly.

“David’s started to gather whoever he can to help him with the bonfire. Trust me when I say that it’s one of the worst things to help him with.” Neil shuddered at the thought, making Max snort. How David had managed to make the bonfire prep worse was beyond him.

Getting to his feet, he quickly shoved his mug in the mess hall before stuffing his hands into his pockets. “Cass is having a nap so we don’t have to worry about her. Lets go.”

“Six year olds need naps?” Neil questioned, beginning to lead the way to the lake. He was likely taking them to the little patch they had found during one of the swim camps where neither wanted to be found.

He hummed, “Most don’t. Cass doesn’t… function well without a nap. Meltdowns and shit. You do not want to deal with her like that. She’s worse than most kids.” The memory of the last time he had forgotten to give the kid a nap made Max frown. He knew it was normal for kids to throw tantrums but Cass always took it to the next extreme.

“That’s what you get for having such a well behaved kid,” Neil commented.

“‘Suppose so.” 

A quiet settled over the pair as they walked along the shore. 

There was no way he would be catching feelings for Neil. He couldn’t afford to fuck with their friendship, nor could he bring more distractions into his already hectic life. Sure, he had let down a few of his walls fairly quickly but he knew Neil and knew he wouldn’t fuck with him. Neil was one of the first people to care for him and be there for him, even now with all the extra shit he carried.

“Stop thinking so much. You’re just gonna stress yourself out then explode at one of us later.” Neil nudged him out of his thoughts.

They turned off to the small opening just besides the shore. Neil sat against a thick trunk, staring up at Max with a raised brow, the boy sighing and dropping besides his friend. “So,” Max began, “You know the basics of my shit storm. What have I missed with you?”

“Aw, you care.” He laughed when Max hit his shoulder, “Not much to be honest. Candy and my dad got married-”

“Holy fuck, they actually got together?”

Neil rolled his eyes, “I wouldn’t believe me either. There’s not much to tell about the whole thing but Nik’s now my sister and my dad has full custody over me - don’t ask. Candy’s not too bad. I think she might actually like my dad but from what Nik’s told me she’s definitely mostly in it for the money. She likes to play housewife whilst my dad works so it’s kinda nice. Imagine a nice version of the mom from Mean Girls.”

Max snorted at that, “Did you just compare your step-mom to Mrs George?” 

“Yes. It’s not a wild jump from the Candy we met on Parents Day.” Neil said completely seriously, pulling a laugh from Max. 

“Are you Regina and Nik is Nicole?”

Neil looked down at him with a blank face, making strong eye contact as he responded, “Yes.”

Max let out another laugh at the idea, hand on his stomach as he leaned against Neil as he cracked up. His reaction seemed to spread to Neil who joined him, both teens nearly in tears from Neil’s analogy.

The indian sobered first, staying leant against Neil as he wiped tears from his eyes. “Can you please wear one of Regina’s outfits? I think you’d look absolutely gorgeous.”

Neil gasped, sitting straight and bringing a hand to his chest as he dramatically exclaimed, “You think I’d be a pretty slag?”

That set them off once again, Max weakly letting out a few “yes”’s during their hysterics. Both had the image of the teenager who typically wore thick sweaters and jeans in a tight pink pencil skirt and a white shirt that stuck to his body which only seemed to fuel their laughter as they tried to get a grasp on breathing.

They were slumped together as they gasped for breaths, using each other to stay upright. Neil’s laughs died down first, the older boy finding himself staring at Max with a soft smile. He had only seen Max laugh like this a handful of times. He couldn’t help but comment, “It’s good to see that you’re more willing to feel.”

Out of context that would probably sound incredibly weird. And it did. It allowed Max’s laughter to quieten, the smaller teen staring down at the grass as he mumbled a quiet “Yeah” before realising what he said. In seconds his walls were back up, sitting up straight and huffing, “I’ve always been comfortable with feeling.”

“No, you haven’t.”

Max frowned at that, moving away from Neil slightly. “Shut up.”

“Dude, it’s a compliment. Say thanks and move on.” Neil rolled his eyes.

“That’s the weirdest fucking compliment.” Max grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. After a moment, he quietly spoke up, “Thank you.”

Neil grinned. He wanted to make a joke but held back, knowing it could create an argument, and instead said, “It’s all good.”

\--

The pair stayed hidden in the opening for a little while, enjoying each other's company with occasional short conversations. Neil had pulled a book out of seemingly nowhere and had allowed Max to rest against his shoulder during this time. It was just like their first year when they hid from everyone together.

Time crept away until the teens began to realise that the sky was slowly getting darker. The shorter quickly got to his feet with a swear, panic quickly taking over him whilst Neil tried to figure out what was wrong. It soon clicked that they must have been away from camp for a couple of hours, meaning that Cass would have been unable to find him.

He jumped up too, tucking his book away and following Max along the shore as he hurried back to the main camp. They made their way to the tents, Max bursting and searching the cots. It was clear no one was there so he made his way out, brushing past Neil. The older boy went to tell him to calm down but could see Max was set on finding his little sister no matter what. It made him pause. That surely suggested somethin…  
Neil continued to follow the smaller teen as he hurried to find her. After searching the activities area, the two made their way to the Mess Hall.

Finally, Max laid eyes on his sister, sitting between Nikki and Nerris. She seemed distracted by the girls talking but as soon as she saw her brother was there tears sprang to her eyes. She quickly got up and ran over to him, Max sweeping her into his arms.

“Shhh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t realise how much time passed.” He quietly comforted her, stroking the curls that had been let out of the braid. The younger girl stayed quiet as she gripped onto him. He rocked her slightly before looking up. He noted that Nikki and Nerris had politely chosen to just shoot him a smile before going back to their previous conversation. He then picked up on Neil’s curious stares which were quickly diverted once he saw Max staring back.

Sighing, Max explained, “The longest I’ve ever left her alone was for just over two hours and even then she was with familiar adults but still freaked out. We must have been gone for a while before she woke and she couldn’t find me, being around strangers and all. She’s probably gonna be upset for a while.” Her small fist hitting Max’s chest confirmed her emotions towards him but it was clear she was just happy he had returned. “I’m sorry.” He mumbled again, pressing a soft kiss to her head. 

They stayed like that, Cass eventually being let down and appearing to be unlikely to cry. She grabbed Max’s hand and refused to leave his side, sucking on her free thumb.

“Right,” Max mumbled, his free hand running through his messy locks, “We’re gonna go see if David’s close to getting the bonfire set.” The invitation was left unsaid but accepted by the other three teens, who followed the two.

Light conversation filled the group as they made their way back to the shore, everyone wary of somehow setting off the child again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im working on a oneshot, maybe more, based on Max's life if he hadn't had Cass. I love teenage!Camp Camp and headcannon that Max is hella feminine, likes wearing skirts and dresses and makeup and shit. plus high school au is ;)))))
> 
> hope you enjoyed!!! Wear your masks, stay hydrated and remember that you deserve to be loved and respected! <3


	8. Bonfire, Oh Bonfire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The bonfire marks the end of the first day of camp!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im sleep deprived, blunt and honestly on the verge of a meltdown but fuck being autistic i wanna write so sorry if its shit and short

The group arrived at the designated bonfire area to find the rest of camp already there, excitedly awaiting the moment David deemed it dark enough to start the bonfire and begin to create s’mores.

Nerris broke off first, going over to sit with Preston and Harrison - likely to argue about something. That left the original trio (plus one) to sit down together on a log. Max sat in the middle with Nikki and Neil either side of him, Cass on his lap.

Nikki began to ramble once they were sat and Cass seemed less likely to cry at any second, “It’s been forever since we all had a bonfire together! D’you think Davey will let us tell spooky stories again? That would be awesome! Max, Space Kids stories have only gotten worse, you’ll love it! I’m not sure about Cassie though, maybe David won’t ask him because of her? That sucks but yano, gotta protect babies and all that jazz! Hey, maybe David could sing us a lull-”

“Aaaaand Ima stop you right there,” Max brought his hand to Nikki’s mouth, cutting her off, “Don’t, for the love of God, encourage that idiot to sing. I will literally walk into that forest and you won’t see me for another six years.”

“Oooo but that implies you’ll be back so it’ll be worth it!” She managed to get out through the cover of Max’s mouth.

“No.” Both boys said at the same time with a ‘that’s final’ tone. 

Max removed his hand from her, wiping the bits of saliva she had let slip on her shirt before plopping Cass on the ground. “Alright, sweetheart, how about you go talk to David about marshmallows? Remember to use your puppy eyes!” The younger girl nodded enthusiastically before running off to David with a bright grin. She had no idea what marshmallows were but they sounded great.

“You can’t use your sister to get what you want.” Neil commented, brow raised in judgement.

Max leaned over, meeting eye contact with Neil to quietly tell him, “Fuck yourself.” He winked and pulled away, leaving Neil with a light blush on his face.

Nikki bounced in her seat, “Will she actually bring some?”

“Most likely. Shes never had them be-”

“WHAT?” Nikki yelled, jumping to her feet. She grabbed Max’s shoulders, easily lifting him, “How dare you not feed her properly!”

Max rolled his eyes. Nikki didn’t know the full story and he didn’t have the energy to snap at her for being stupid so replied, “Yeah, well it’s hard to afford sweets when you’re sixteen and raising a child.”

The teal haired teen contemplated this before dropping Max back down, grinning with a happy little ‘“fair enough” as she fell besides him. 

Max groaned, rubbing his lower back from the pain that spiked from being dropped.

Before he had a chance to snap at her, David had caught everyone's attention with a “Okay, Campers! Before we get started, I would just like to welcome you all back and say a warm welcome to our newest addition; Little Cass! It warms my heart to see so many returning cam-”

“Cut the shit, David!” Max called out, followed by similar grumbles from everyone else.

Nikki’s loud exclamation of “Yeah, light her up and give us the ‘mellows!”, revealing that Cass had been sent back empty handed. 

Sighing, David nodded. “Alrighty then! Let’s officially get this summer off to a great start!” He cheered, using flint and steel to light the fire (thankfully rather quickly).  
Soon s’mores were handed out, the campers happily mingling. The twins sat happily munching on their s’mores, communicating silently to one another. Preston, Nerris and Harrison found themselves in a competition to see who could create the best s’more, followed by them finding out who could eat the most s’mores. Space Kid was happily just allowing his marshmallows to turn to ash, David still attempting to teach him how to do it properly though he never had in years. Dolph and Gwen sat silently in one another's company, Dolph attempting to make his s’mores perfect. Nikki was chowing down on a massive s’more (made of multiple marshmallows which were sure to give her a sugar rush) whilst Neil and Max attempted to teach Cass to correctly make a s’more, the little girl clearly enjoying the sweet delight which were marshmallows.

Under the bright stars which appeared in the Lake Lilac area, the night seemed practically perfect. The perfect start to a chaotic summer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this turned out really soft?? i would go more in detail but i just wanted to finish off the day plus im majorly drained so theres probably a lot of mistakes
> 
> ima probably start doing bigger skips now. like, the next chapter will probably be a summary of the first week idk
> 
> be safe, stay hydrated and wear your masks!! <3


	9. Surprise Guests

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little surprise visit from another camp!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if it's not clear i'm literally planning these chapters as i get to them  
> i was gonna continue until the day finishes but eh we can do that in the next chapter
> 
> also ive edited the tags lmfao

After the bonfire, the first week began and ended rather quickly. The first week of camp was always dedicated to getting used to the cots and the schedule and being away from parents. This meant there had only been four fires, three food fights, one fight (Nerris gave Harrison a black eye), one broken fishbowl and David crying only once (which, in their record, was actually the most unusual part of the week).

Max had been struggling to adjust to being around so many people once again and often took brakes, ensuring Neil was with Cass whilst he did. If Neil wanted to follow Max, Nerris would be put in charge. The teen and child had been getting along rather well and Nerris was the most mature to take care of Cass after Max and Neil.  
The duo would go out to quiet spots, sit in silence for usually half an hour before being called by David to return to socialising and camp activities. The short breaks somehow worked to get them through each day.

David and Gwen still weren’t used to having such a young camper amongst them but did try to take some of the weight off Max’s shoulder as promised - though it sometimes proved difficult after Cass realised her brother had been gone for a while. He would always return just before she could throw a full tantrum and would often be caught kicking Nikki after she made another comment about his ‘fatherly-instincts’.

All in all, it was a good start for the chaotic camp life at Camp Campbell.

Of course, this was Camp Campbell and the slight peace didn’t last too long.

Max and Cass were in their tent, Max reading ‘Don’t Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus’ (thanks AJ) to the younger girl. It was her favourite book. You’ve never seen quite the same level of stress from Max to when he’s chasing a young child who’s trying to ask the pigeons who drives best.

Their daily task was broken up by a loud swear outside the tent. Max sighed and tried to continue but there seemed to be an argument happening with familiar and unfamiliar voices, distracting the pair greatly.  
Max groaned, “Alright, Princess, wait here. I’ll go tell them to knock it off.” He patted her head, handing her the book to flick through before making his way out of the tent. Squinting under the harsh midday-sunlight, he barely made out the figures standing outside of the Mess Hall. Max made his way over, instantly blowing up all the campers there, “Shut the fuck up for ten more minutes!” 

Before he could take note of who was in the group, an annoyingly familiar voice spoke up, “Well, well, well. If it isn’t Camp Campbell’s favourite little fireball! You’ve been gone for a while, Maxwell!” Pikeman’s voice was cocky as ever, it seemed. 

Max turned to him, ready to yell but paused at how surprisingly similar the trio looked. “Fucking hell none of you have changed.” He muttered. He turned to the only ‘adult’ in the area, “David, what are these idiots doing here?”

“Oh, well…” The counselor shifted on his feet, indicating to Max that this was definitely going to be something he wouldn’t like, “Last year we began a program where the Wood Scouts come over whilst their head counselor… is gone!” The ginger grinned brightly, unwavering under Max’s frown and glare.

“You’re fucking stupid.” He sighed, rubbing his face. From his memory of the Scouts, he knew the bastards were only here to recruit campers. Obviously it hadn’t worked and clearly David couldn’t see what they were doing, probably thinking it was a game or something to get more badges.

Pikeman moved closer to Max with a cocky grin, “Why, Maxwell, I think today will be a great opportunity for us to… reunite. I would just love to hear why you disappeared for these years, I’ve just been so worried for you.”

The sarcasm flew over David’s head as he placed a hand on Max’s shoulder, a bright smile on his face. “That’s lovely of you, Edward. It’s good to see that it wasn’t just our camp worried about Max!”

“Yes. Maxwell would make a very fine Wood Scout and I couldn’t just ignore his potential.” He met eyes with Max, smirking like he could actually get away with transferring him.

Before he could snap back a result, small footsteps came running up to the group. They all turned at the sudden noise to see little Cass staring up at all of them. She paused, arms brushing her skirt as she stared up at the Scouts. Finally, she spoke, “You’re fucking ugly.” She pointed at Pikeman who’s face completely dropped.

“Cassidy Jayashankar!” Max exclaimed, ignoring the other's shock and appal at the girl's language. “What have I told you about swearing?” He stood in front of her, hands on hip.

The younger girl crossed her arms and huffed, tears coming to her eyes at being told off. “That I shouldn’t,” She mumbled.

“So why did you swear?”

She shifted on her feet before shrugging, “‘Dunno, you looked upset at him…”

Max sighed, scooping the girl up and sitting her on his hip. “You don’t need to battle my fights, sweetheart. We can talk about this later but for now I’m gonna have to ask you to apologise to Pikeman.” He gestured to the older teen who looked incredibly shocked at the situation.

“But he is,” She pouted, “And you told me to always be honest.”

“Yeah but this is a dumb adult thing I have to teach you so you become a respectable member of society. At least do it for me?” He met her eye, the two having a longer silent battle. Max appeared to win as Cass let out a loud groan. He smirked and let her down.

The six-year-old marched up to Pikeman, craning her neck. “I’m sorry for telling the truth, I’m sure you have a pretty insides.” She had her arms crossed as she huffed the apology out. 

Pikeman mutely nodded. Cass turned to look at Max who nodded at her and motioned towards the mess hall. The girl understood and happily skipped off, leaving a gaping trio, an unimpressed adult and tired Max.

“Maaax-”

“Shut up, I don’t swear around her. You know that.” He held up a hand to silence the older man, “If anything, it was Gwen. Go tell her off for swearing around Cass. Better you than me.”  
The red head seemed to contemplate this before nodding. It was best for him to civilly discuss this with Gwen rather than her and Max getting into another yell-off. He gave the group a Campbell suit before following Cass’s previous footsteps to the Mess Hall.

His departure seemed to break the other teens out of their shock, Snake speaking up, “You have a kid?” He seemed gobsmacked but his rough voice took off some of the surprise.

“Jesus Christ, who allowed you to knock them up?” Pikeman followed through.

The comments made Max scrunch his nose up. “Do none of you do maths? Idiots, Cass is six. That would mean I fucked someone when I was ten.” He raised a brow, watching Petrol and Snake seem to figure out his official relationship with Cass. Pikeman still had a confused look on his face, this prompting Max to groan and spit out, “She’s my fucking sister, twat.”

This seemed to settle the internal argument Pikeman was having with himself. The teens shoulders loosened a bit, “Damn, I really thought you had your own kid.”

Max made a so-and-so movement. “Don’t fucking bring it up to her, I’ll personally kick your knees out and then make Nikki do the rest.” And with that threat he pushed passed to get to the mess hall.

Today was going to be a long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed!!
> 
> Stay safe, Keep hydrated, Wear your masks!!!! <3


	10. A Day with the Scouts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It goes just about as well as you would expect at camp (a little bit of angst, a little bit of softness, and you have a fucking mess!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW!! Very Slight Homophobia
> 
> Yeah originally I was working on a WIP and then got inspired for this and it came out VERY differently to planned so like have fun with this mess!!

Once in the mess hall, Max dropped down in his seat besides Cass, who was happily eating away at her lunch. He brushed a curl out her face to avoid it going in her mouth. “We can finish reading tonight if you want?”   
  
The small girl shook her head, finishing her mouthful. “It’s fine!”   
  
Max raised a brow and hummed at her. They had managed their way through most of it so maybe he could let it go for today. He was sure it wouldn’t impact her learning, they always read at least a book daily and he knew camp was keeping her active too, enough so that she would usually be asleep the second she was in her cot.

Before he could spiral down into the stress of whether or not he was doing well, he felt something tap against his head. He cast his eyes over to Nikki, the girl grinning at him. “Stop stressing, Max! Plus, I would save your freakout for when you hear what we’re doing today.” The smirk on her face only indicated that today was truly going to be pure hell.

Between making sure Cass was okay, dealing with David and avoiding those stupid Scouts he knew today was going to just spiral more and more down the pit he called his life. The teen groaned, “Lay it on me.”   
  
Nikki cackled, those on the table staring at her with worry. That told Max that Nik was the only one who knew what was happening today. The other leaned more towards Max, “It’s your favourite; music camp.”   
  
Oh.

Max sat up straighter, face moving from the others as a hard look set on his face. Was David actually fucking with him? Sure, music was something he generally liked and often used to escape the shit he called his life. Back when he was in school he’d actually been learning guitar. He still had his instrument, locked away in a closet at the house. But none of that meant he enjoyed the camp here.

Allow him to explain further; music camp typically implied that David would whack out that crappy guitar and play some crap ass camp song he had most likely written the night before in pure excitement. It was one of the louder camps where the idiots he called fellow campers would be allowed to lay their hands on equipment that could quite literally destroy your hearing. Whilst Max would typically associate music to something to calm him and distract him, he associated music camp to… pure shit. 

David would be delighted and encourage the campers, even when Space Kid had literally attempted to play a ukulele by the neck of the instrument. The idea that someone thought it could work like that made Max’s stomach curl with anger. He never even got a chance to show off his musical abilities, like fuck he would anyway. David would find out and probably force the boy to be a part of camp songs during bonfires.

“You bitch.” Max spat at her, barely batting an eye at Cass to see her shocked look that he had sworn. Nikki  _ knew  _ Max hated the camp and Neil knew most of the story behind his hatred of it. “You knew the scouts were gonna be here today  _ and suggested _ to David that we should do music camp, didn’t you?” Nikki’s smirk confirmed it, the girl raising a brow in challenge.

Before he could throw himself at the girl and scrap with her, he felt a strong hand on his shoulder, forcing him to sit back down. “Max,” Neil’s voice cut through all his thoughts, “Breathe, dude. We can’t let you kill Nik when we may need her for protection later.” The taller teen brought Max’s attention to where Pikeman and his bitches were sat. The trio hadn’t noticed the tension across the room, too focussed on their discussion.

Max sucked in a deep breath, counting to ten in his head. He felt Neil pat his shoulder before his weight fell besides him. The older boy turned to him, quickling gaining his attention to give him a small smile. Max only rolled his eyes before turning to Cass, “Sorry, sweetheart. Didn’t mean to swear. Don’t repeat that.”   
  
The girl narrowed her eyes at him.

“Oh, come on! I’m older than you, anyway. It sucks but you can’t swear until you’re my age.” He knew her train of thought had reverted back to when he had told her off outside for swearing. It really wasn’t a good idea to tell someone off for something and then do that exact thing yourself. Max was just glad Cass hadn’t learnt about the word hypocrite yet.

She huffed, “That’s not fair.” Her small arms crossed over her chest. 

“Fine. To make it fair I won't punish you for earlier and we don't have to do the reading later?” He held out his hand for her to shake. Cass seemed to contemplate this deal before nodding and shaking his hand. She soon happily returned to her meal.

Max turned to argue with Nikki some more, narrowing his eyes when he saw she was gone. He located her sitting beside Nerris, flipping him off before cuddling up to her partner.

Before he could return the gesture, David stood up and clapped his hands to gain everyone’s attention. “Okay, kids! As you may have noticed, the scouts are here again this year. They’ll be participating in today's activities whilst their counsellor is away! Our main camp for today will be Music Camp and then before bed I’ll allow you all to do your own thing, doesn’t that sound exciting!”   
  
Max slammed his head into the table in front of him, feeling Neil’s and Cass’s eyes on him. 

David continued, “Due to the number of campers we have today, we’ll be splitting into half! Half of you will go with Gwen whilst the others will be with me. Gwen?”   
  
“Alright, you little shits,” She stood up, clipboard in her hand. “With me will be Space Kid, Dolph, Theo, Harrison and Nerris from our camp. From the Scouts it’ll be Snake, Petrol, Kirk, Dante, Richard, and Griffin.”    
  


Max let out a loud groan, re-slamming his head into the table. He wasn’t with Gwen so that meant-

“And with David from our camp will be Max, Cass, Neil, Nikki, Kate, and Preston. From the scouts will be Edward, James, Ryan, Cole and Kevin.”   
  
“Alllllright, kids! Let’s head outside. Everyone go to who you were assigned so we can get on with today!” The two counsellors lead all the kids out of the mess hall.

Max had ensured he remained slouched and at the back of the group, Cass’s hand in his and Nik and Neil by his side. He blocked out Nikki’s rambles about how it was unfair she couldn’t be with Nerris, too focussed on finding the best escape route to avoid today. 

He felt a small tug on his hand, looking down to see Cass staring curiously back up at him. “Is music camp fun?” She had been asking his opinion on each camp before they did it, understanding that he had done all of them and was supposed to give her his honest opinion. He had twice and each time the younger girl would refuse to participate because ‘clearly Maxie doesn’t find it fun so I won’t either’. It had led to Gwen telling him she would only do it if she thought he thought it was cool, still being at that age where she idolised everything he did.

He hummed, “Yeah. It’s a lot of fun, you’ll love it.”   
  
“But you looked upset when Ikki had told you?” Ah shit, he forgets how observant she can be.

Max crouched down to her height, smiling. “Mmm, that’s because I’m not a fan of a lot of noise, y’know? But you’ll love it, promise.” And that was the truth. She was the opposite to Max when it came to camp, genuinely enjoying each thing they did and openly showing it.

Cass rocked on her heels, still holding his hand. “Will you play with me then? You and Neil? I think Ikki will try escape to Nerris the Cute.” 

He heard someone besides him shift, turning to see Neil crouching down too. “We’ll both join in and have a blast, yeah?” The youngest seemed excited at the proposition of having fun with the two teens, as if she had rarely hung out with them.

Max shot Neil a grateful smile before standing up straight. Neil had been doing that a lot this past week, helping him with Cass. He wasn’t used to anyone else really wanting to help him, especially with the smaller Jayashankar, but that didn’t mean he didn’t appreciate Neil trying to take some stress off him.

Soon enough, the group began to move away from the mess hall, David having finished ensuring everyone was where they were supposed to be. The group made their way to where bonfires were usually held, David putting down the large box he had been carrying. By this time, Nikki had managed to successfully slip away from the group to go find Gwen’s.

“Okay, kids, I don’t want to put too much stress on you so for today's music camp I’ll allow you to choose any instrument you want and then if anybody wants any help with it come and ask me!” He instructed as he opened the box and began to place the instruments in there out. The camp had definitely brought more since Max had last been here, only adding to his suspicion that the camp had somehow come into more money.

“I’ll go grab us the stuff, you two go find somewhere more quiet to sit.” He instructed the pair, walking off before he got an answer knowing Neil will sort it out. He went up to the array of instruments, eyes scanning until they fell on a few ukuleles. He grabbed the blue and green one, knowing Neil would most likely just want to sit and listen. The older boy had never had an interest any time they did any music related camps.

He stood up as tall as one could for his height, scanning the area until he spotted his duo sitting on a log that was on the edge of the forest line. He made his way over, dropping himself between them and handing Cass the green ukulele. “Alright, Cass, go wild on that thing.” 

The youngest hesitantly strummed down the ukulele, anxiously looking up at Max who gave her an encouraging smile. That seemed to work as Cass did a few more, growing in confidence. The noise helped to drown out the sound of whatever idiot had found a trumpet. He was just going to assume it was one of the scouts.

“Good job, sweetheart. Wanna hear another chord?” He asked.

“A chord?” Cass furrowed her brows, looking down at the instrument in confusion before back up at him.

He nodded, “Yeah, it’s what helps change the sound that you make. You can have a lot of fun just strumming but I think you’ll like the sounds of a couple of chords.” Her nod prompted Max to show her C and D. Cass picked it up quickly and happily sat strumming them.

Max smiled softly at her focussed face, tongue stuck out as she tried her best to keep her fingers on the chords. The ukulele looked huge against her small body but she was still giving it her best shot. She always tried her best, that thought helped Max feel slightly better about her going to school soon, knowing she would give it a good shot with an excited little smile.

Feeling eyes on him, Max turned his head. He found himself having to look up at Neil who was grinning stupidly at him. “What?” His smile fell as he tried to figure out Neil’s intentions.

The taller boy chuckled, shaking his head, “It just amazes me how soft you’ve become. It really does suit you.”    
  
His face flushed, nudging Neil in retaliation. That only prompted the other to laugh, another nudge not helping the situation.

Max huffed, looking down at the ukulele besides him. He picked it up and began strumming, attempting to hide his flush and control his racing thoughts. Unknowingly, he began to strum the chords in the order of a very well known Elvis Presley song (if you know, you know ;) ). He ignored that Neil’s eyes were still on him, getting lost in the familiar movement of the chords.

He was pulled out when he felt a soft tug on his hoodie, looking down to meet Cass. She took this as an indicator to speak, “Can I go sit with Katie? She’s playing the same thing as us.” 

Max looked over at the girl in question before looking back down at Cass’s excited face. “Yeah, go on then. Come back if anyone gives you any hassle.” He placed a quick kiss into her girls before watching her sprint off to the other girl. Watching to make sure Kate accepted her request, Max didn’t notice the redhead making his way off.

“Fuck off, Pikeman.” Neil’s harsh voice broke him out of his stares, finally looking up at the other teen. He groaned, falling in Neil’s side as he accepted whatever shit Pikeman was about to spit out.

Pikeman ignored their words, raising a brow at the pair. He obviously knew the two were rather close but could it- No, Max didn’t have emotions other than anger, as far as Pikeman knew. The other boy was a different situation if his flushed face was anything to go off of. He elected to ignore that and store it for later, “Now, gentlemen, I only came over here for a quick chat.”   
  
Max ran his free hand down his face before shifting so he could probably see Pikeman, effectively flipping him off. “No one wants to join the Wood Scouts.”   
  
“Luckily for you, Maxwell, I’m not here to discuss that.” Neil and Max raised a brow at that, sharing a look. “No, no. I’m actually here to enquire about young Cass.”   
  
“First off, never say that in that way about any kid, it sounds very pedophilic.” Max started, holding up one finger to the older, Neil nodding in agreement, “Secondly, my threat from earlier now includes you going anywhere near her.” He sat up straight, strumming the ukulele. The smallest of them then did a move neither of them would have ever anticipated from him, Max looking up at Pikeman with an innocent look and bright smile.“I won’t hesitate to kill you if you touch her.”

They both seemed at a loss for words. Pikeman was beginning to connect that Max held an incredibly deep care for Cass, much like a father would have for their daughter… Neil on the other hand was stuck with the image of Max’s smile.

Max’s face dropped soon after his sentence, “Now piss off, Eddy. I want to chill for a bit.” His strumming delved back into something more complicated that wasn’t necessarily organised but held a pretty tune.

The teen seemed to get the memo for once, walking off and trying to figure out how to get more scouts once more.

“God, he always pisses me off.” Max grumbled once he was gone, leaning back against Neil’s shoulder. Neil hesitantly untensed, trying not to move too much. A comfortable quiet fell over the two, both focussing on Max’s strumming to try cancel out the loud sounds coming from the other campers.

Their comfort was disrupted when David came bounding over. “Max!” He exclaimed, “I didn’t know you knew how to play ukulele!”   
  
“I don’t?” The boy tried, looking up from where he was rested.

David’s brows furrowed, “Cass just told me you do? Plus, you’re playing pretty well right now!”

Ah, shit.

Max’s strumming instantly stopped, a hard glare setting on his face. “Don’t make a massive thing about this, fuckin’ hell.” He sat up straight once more and noticed David’s excited buzzing.

“I’m not!” Both teens snorted at that, David continuing, “I just think that music would be a good way for you to relax and take your mind off everything. Music is very therapeutic. I use it to help me organise my thoughts and keep up that good ol’ camp spirit!”   
  
Groaning, Max just decided to accept his fate now. David was  _ never  _ going to let this go, there was no way of even bragging him. This was the first thing David had learnt that Max had a genuine interest and knowing the man he would use this as some bonding experience. “David, I  _ know _ , okay? I have a guitar at the house that helped a bit.”   
  
That had clearly been the wrong thing to say. He practically felt Neil’s wince as David excitedly pulled Max up and into a hug. “This is brilliant, Max! We can sign you up for Music Camp and you and I could play songs together. It’ll be amazing. It will give you a good break from little Cass and allow you to finally relax more!” He tightened the hug, ignoring Max’s wiggles to attempt for a moment longer before letting the boy go.

Max sighed, choosing to just fall behind the log so he could lie down and hopefully be absorbed by Mother Nature. No luck. “I’m not fucking doing that with you, David.” He muttered.

The man picked it up, “Okay! That’s fine. If you’d like you can take the ukulele or maybe my spare guitar? If it helps you to relax-”   
  
“I get it!” Max snapped, sitting back up. It was an awkward position, his legs still being on the log and his arms supporting his weight against the ground. “I’ll fucking take the ukuelele if it means we never have to discuss this.”   
  
David happily nodded and went on his merry little way to talk to the other campers, content that he had found something Max enjoyed.

“You know he’s not going to leave you be, right?” Neil questioned, helping the smaller boy back onto the log.

“Don’t I ever. I’m so ready for today to be over.”

\--

Music camp went on for a while after that. A few other Wood Scouts had come up to the boys to try recruit them, each being sent away after learning a few new swears and insults (one had learnt the term “straggot” after assuming both were together and sending them a dirty look) and Cass had returned once to show them she had leant how to do a bit of Riptide before excitedly running back off again. The pair also watched as Preston dramatically exclaimed his dismay at the idea of going to the Wood Scouts, at one point yelling about how he would ‘rather have his dick bitten by a hot guy than go with you sexist barbarians!’.

Max was mainly happy that Cass had managed to make a friend near her age at camp (and maybe that he also now had an instrument to use whenever he wanted).

Once the camp activity was finally over, they were all allowed to go their own way. Max had gone looking for Cass but found her with Kate, who was trying to explain how chess worked to the small girl. Not wanting to disturb her, he instructed Gwen to watch over her. 

He didn’t know where Neil was and assumed Nikki was with Nerris, leaving Max to be completely alone as he wandered to the dock, ukulele still with him.

Now on the dock, Max slipped off his shoes. He placed them besides him and dropped his feet into the water. Something about being partially in the deep waters that were Lake Lilac sent a sort of calmness through him, one he rarely felt. The gentle lapping of the waves as he slowly moved his legs back and forth only added to this calm. He lied down, closing his eyes and slowly strumming his ukulele. 

He hadn’t felt this relaxed and grounded in... well, since he had last come to camp.

Allowing himself to drift away from the current moment, he focussed on the feeling of the cold water against his feet and strings against his fingers.

As much as he loved Cass, he could never completely relax with her around. He was constantly aware of her movements, always with her and used to her needing him. She was still incredibly young, he knew it was likely just a normal kid thing. This was one of the first time in ages that he had allowed himself to pretend he was a normal teenager. No stress about a child being around and in his full care, not having to worry about if his parents would randomly appear, if his grades were somehow still B’s so he wouldn’t get screamed at for not keeping his grades up whilst raising a child.

He was just Max. The cynical teenager. 

He was pulled out of his thoughts by footsteps making their way across the sand. They sounded familiar and deep so Max assumed it was just Neil. “Hey, dude.” He mumbled quietly, not bothering to move or open his eyes.

“Is it true you’re gay?” 

That nasally voice was not the one of his nerdy best friend. 

Max snapped his eyes open to see the top of Pikeman’s head. He quickly sat, nearly dropping the ukulele in the water but just managing to grab it. “What the fuck, Pikeman?” He turned, bringing one leg onto the dock to allow him to turn to the older boy.

“Are you?” He questioned, “With Neil? One of my scouts told me that you two were… rather comfortable with each other.”   
  
Was this dude for real? “Who even goes up to someone who’s alone and fucking asks that? What’s it to you if I’m gay? Or if I’m with Neil?” He snapped. “Not that we are, dickwad.”   
  
Pikeman pressed, “Not together or not gay?”   
  
Brushing a hand through his hair, Max glanced to the sides of the other boy. Pikeman was standing in the middle of the dock, meaning Max’s only escape would be to jump in the lake. He still wasn’t comfortable with swimming. That only meant one thing; replying to the idiot. “Dunno about Neil but I’m into dudes, yeah.”   
  
“Like, gay?”   
  
“Oh my fucking god,” Max groaned, “Yes Pikeman, I’m a fucking homosexual. I’m gayer than Elton John in a rainbow suit with fucking peacock feathers coming off in different shades of the pride flag. Happy?” He scowled, getting to his feet. His bare feet felt uncomfortable against the harsh wood but he ignored it.

Pikeman stared at him for a long while before finally speaking again, “So, you have a cr-”   
  
Before he could finish, Max had grabbed one of his shoes and threw it at Pikeman. “Fuck no! I don’t have a crush on anyone! Not you, not Neil, not any-fucking-one! Is that all you wanted?”   
  
“Jesus fucking christ!” Pikeman yelled, moving away from the other boy. “I didn’t mean it like that! We still accept you people at the Scouts-”   
  
“The fact that you just referred to gay people as ‘you people’ speaks levels, dickhead. And take a hint, no one wants to be apart of your shitty fucking wood scouts. Grow up and leave people alone.” The shorter huffed, grabbing his shoe and the ukulele and storming off, ensuring he had both shoes before leaving the shore.

He knew the wood scouts were complete misogynistic assholes so it made sense that they were homophobic. He should have known toxic masculinity would follow that crap camp through all stages of life, especially after that one Scout's response at Max leaning against Neil. honestly, why did he even bother getting pissed? It wasn’t worth it.

The teen stormed across to the tent area, ripping the flaps open and barely paying attention to his surroundings as he threw himself on his cot. Anger still bubbled in him, the temptation to go back and punch Pikeman in the face and then call him ‘babe’ to add pain to injury. God, that sounded good. However, Max just wanted to remain on his cot for a while longer.

“Uhhh, Max?” The flaps of the tent sounded, the nasally voice definitely being that of his best friend. “Are you good, dude?”   
  
“Yes, Neil, I’ve never been fucking happier,” Came his muffled reply.

The other boy hummed, sounding a lot closer now. “Really? I can tell. So, what happened?” Neil patiently waited, knowing Max often just needed time to bubble over before allowing others to know of the issue. He would need time to organise his thoughts to figure out if it was important enough for others to know, and if it wasn’t they would brush over it. It was a system they used for each other, both of their heads often being muddled and full.

“Pikeman.” Max finally revealed. It wasn’t much but both boys would be able to just know what the mention of that name implied.

The cot shifted, indicating that Neil had sat down on the edge. Huffing, Max shuffled around before forcing himself to sit up. He brought his knees to his chest, resting his chin on them as he stared at the other boy. “D’you know ‘m gay?”    
  
Neil froze at that, turning to get a better look at Max to ensure he wasn’t just fucking around. The distant look in his eyes told him he was. “No,” He began, “But it doesn’t change shit, Max. You’re still my asshole of a best friend. Is that what you told the twat?” The other hummed. “Have you ever told anyone?”   
  
“Told Cass I don’t like princesses, that I prefer Princes.” Max chuckled, “She said it was good ‘cuz it meant she wouldn’t have to worry about any other princesses.” He trailed off, a familiar silence falling once more as Neil awaited for Max to organise his thoughts once again. “You really don’t care?”   
  
“Max, if it bothered me you would be able to pick me apart. I don’t give a fuck whatever you are, so long as you’re not about to straight up murder me.”   
  
Max was glad he had Neil for many reasons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been writing since 7pm and it's currently 2:30 am so this is probably crap but oh well!! 
> 
> I'm also gonna explain sexualities and shit rn to clear stuff up;
> 
> Max(16) - Trans, asexual gay  
> Neil(16) - Pansexual (he isn’t out yet)  
> Nikki(16) - Lesbian  
> Nerris(16) - nonbinary (closeted currrently), pansexual  
> Harrison(16) - bee bi bo  
> Preston(16) - gay as a fidget spinner  
> Space Kid(14) - aroace (he's married to space)  
> Dolph(14) - straight  
> Theo(9) - child atm so no  
> Kate(9) - child atm so nope  
> Cass(5) - shes a baby so none
> 
> David(30) - Ace Bisexual  
> Gwen(29) - Pansexual
> 
> Also I'm sorry if i keep writing Cass as 6, she's five but I'm ditzy. Her birthday's near the end of summer.
> 
> Stay safe, stay hydrated and please for the love of Gaia wear your masks <3
> 
> Edit: no idea what the fuck happened with the text to make it so spaced out but sorry.
> 
> Edit 2: I’m reading back through this bc I have block and holy crap so sorry for all the mistakes. I’ve tried to correct some of them but whenever I write it’s late at night and my minds always running so sorry for it all. Whenever I finish this I’ll likely rewrite all of it to iron out all the mistakes I’ve made and make everything aCtually connect together oof


	11. Little Note

Hey y’all just wanted to say I’m not sure when I’m gonna next update this. I’ve been struggling a lot recently (hence the like month gap between my last update lmfao) so yeah

I’ll try get back to it but my mental health is my priority, as should be your own. 

Take care  
Stay hydrated  
Please wear your masks  
Also maybe research about Chinas camps because fuck them


	12. hiatus

hello :)  
it’s been a while, hasnt it?

i’ve mainly returned to inform those who enjoy my story that i’m currently going on a haitus after having distanced myself from the camp camp fandom  
i do wish to return to the work one day, just in the meantime i wish to venture out and explore my main special interest at the moment 

i am glad you have given my story a try, i greatly appreciate those who have even showed me that they enjoy my story  
i hope to one day return here but as for now this is goodbye to the camp camp fandom :)


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